Hey, I decided to put the code I used for doing my lighting solution on github. I couldn't find any readily available assets to achieve this effect so I made them for the jam. It's basically like the lighting from the dark levels in Nuclear Throne.

Here's the github page with the package to import and the instructions on how to use it:

https://github.com/GibsS/unity-mask-lighting

Oh and check out my game if you please :) : Darkness Draws Near

Checkout my entry: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/once-more-dear-friends

I've played a few puzzle games in this jam so far, here are those that kept me playing the longest. You should check them out if you are into them!

Quantum Splitter

The smoothest experience I've experienced in this jam. It's easy to get into, it gets just the right amount of hard and it's very satisfying.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/quantum-madness

SCANLINE

A great sokoban where the main mechanic of the game is closest tied to the "Unstable" theme. https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/scanline

Breakoban

It's quite a simple mechanic but they explore the concept quite well. It's pretty short (10 levels) so it's a treat to try and complete. https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/breakoban

Among Monolyths

Nobody giving feedback could avoid the comparisons to the Witness, and it's hard for me to do it either. It is a fun mix between trying to understand the rules of the puzzles and then applying this knowledge to try and solve them, not unlike the Witness. The scope of it is also impressive for a jam. https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/among-monolyths

Plains In The Sky

It's less of a thinking game compared to the previous two but it is still very inventive and probably the best looking entry I've seen so far. If you like physics puzzles, give it a try! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/plains-in-the-sky

Can you get through the rising lava?

:video_game: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/51/lava-crossing

:bird: https://twitter.com/GibsCake

How I made the lava in Lava Crossing

The biggest challenges of the project were rendering the rising lava and detecting when the player had fallen into it.

The way lava works is fairly simple: every 10 seconds the space the lava occupies expands, making it harder and harder for the player to get through the level. Wait too long and there might not be a path left to cross.

The lava and the rest of the terrain is rendered using one massive unity "shader graph" shader (see below). Perlin noise is used to define a height map and then a ton of nodes are used to color the different height levels given the current time and position. Shader Graph is an absolute must-have for any new Unity developer learning to make games. The more you practice with it, the more complicated the things you can render with it and it really seems like there is no limit to what you can make with them + since no code is required, you can get into it and experiment pretty quick. AND since it's all shader code it runs straight on the GPU so its performance is perfect.

Detecting when a player dies is a bit more difficult: I can't use colliders since the shape of the lava changes constantly and its shape was too complex. The trick I used was to render the terrain on a specific texture and then checking the color of the pixel under which the car is. If it's lava colored, death, if not the player keeps moving.

Making this game was a blast and I hope you enjoy it as well!